SEARCH MY BLOG

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Gravity Review

Gravity, the absurdly popular film that basically everyone is crazy about. Does it deserve the hype?
Considering that a ton of people ranging from movie critics to fellow bloggers praised Gravity as one of the best of the year, you it should be no surprise that I was excited for the film, and in terms of special effects, Gravity most certainly delivers. It is a visual and audio spectacle that are almost worth seeing for the visuals alone. Unfortunately, the visuals and audio are virtually the only thing the film has going for it.

Obviously, I watched the movie at home on Blu-Ray on an HDTV, and it is probably the best looking Blu-Ray I have seen. From what basically all of the reviews of the movie have said is that you have to watch it in 3D. While watching it in 3D would have probably enhanced the experienced, I am glad that I did not pay $13+ to see it in IMAX 3D, because I want more for my money in terms of story and characters, but the price of renting the Blu-Ray at the Redbox is certainly worth it.

Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
Genre: Thriller, Drama,
Release Date: October 4, 2013
Running Time: 91 minutes
MMPA rating: PG-13

The Good: Stunning visuals effects, Wonderful direction, Impressive sound design, Excellent cinematography, Strong performances, Gripping first half, Great review,

The Bad: Several dumb character actions, Generic and clichéd characters, Predictable second half, Weak script,

Plot: 4.2/10- Gravity has an incredibly simple plot. Basically, astronauts are in space and crap happens for 90 minutes. Thanks to technical aspect, the first half was suspenseful and unpredictable; unfortunately, the second was entirely predictable. In terms of plot, there is not much to it, which I suppose is that point. Also, the movie tries to manipulate the viewer's emotions, and it definitely failed at affecting me in any way, but I guess I can see others feeling differently.

Characterization: 4.3/10- Despite the film's small cast, none of the characters are more than clichéd caricatures. The main protagonist, Dr. Ryan Stone, is an incompetent scientist, who should never have been allowed in space, with a tragically generic backstory that is supposed to manipulate the emotions of the audience. Lieutenant Matt Kowalski is a charismatic and entertaining, yet one dimensional, astronaut. *Spoilers* One part that completely took me out of the movie is that when Ryan was low on oxygen; she and Kowalski continued to carry on a conversation as if there was no problem. I know that he was trying to calm her down, but talking consumes a lot of oxygen, especially if there is very little left. Also, I sincerely hope that we do not send astronauts into space that are incompetent as Stone was in the movie. I know she is just a scientist, but astronauts go through some rigorous training before going into space. *End Spoiler*


Action/Suspense: 7.5/10- During Gravity's first half, it had several genuinely thrilling and suspenseful moments. As stuff is being destroyed, it is certainly a visually stunning experience that can be entertaining to watch. Unfortunately, in the second half, most of the suspense was gone due to the utter predictability of the plot. I wanted to feel more tension, but when you can basically figure out what is going to happen next, there is not a lot driving the audience to feel tension. Fortunately, since I avoided all spoilers and trailers, I knew virtually nothing about what happened in the movie except for the first two minutes, which added to the suspense of the movie, even if it was predictable.
Acting: 8.1/10- Sandra Bullock in the leading role is fine. She overacts at certain points, and her character comes off as a little too inexperienced and clichéd, but that is mostly the material rather than the performance. George Clooney is the best part of the movie thanks to his natural charisma and likable performance.

Special effects: 9.9/10- Special effects are Gravity's strongest aspect. From the stunning cinematography, almost all of which was done digitally, to the thrilling visuals rushing past the screen, Gravity is a visual treat. Except for some scenes obviously being computer generated, the effects are believable and extremely well executed considering that the movie is basically an animated one with talking heads. The 1080p video quality of the Blu-Ray is simply immaculate. It is one of the best looking movies I have seen on Blu-Ray. From a directorial standpoint, Alfonso Cuarón nails it. He actually makes first-person perspective effective and not annoying. Also, the movie certainly earns the awards for the technical aspects of the film.

Sound Design: 10/10- Gravity's sound design is equally amazing as its visuals. The deep bass tones in the film are particularly effective at making the audience feel as though you are inside the spacesuit with the characters.

Soundtrack: 9.5/10- Except for some generic "emotional" music, Steven Price's score is top notch. The soundtrack is often similar to that of Jaws in how it makes the audience feel the tension of the situation. While the predictability of the plot lessens the score's effectiveness in the second half, it is used to great effect in the first half.

Humor: N/A- 

Entertainment Value: 7.3/10- Again, the first half was great and entertaining, but when you know exactly how the second half is going to end, it takes away a lot of the fun.

Overall: 7.7/10- Thanks to the stunning visuals and excellent sound design, Gravity is a feast for the eyes and ears that is worth seeing for its technical proficiency alone, and unfortunately, that is about the only thing going for it.

Closing comments: Now that a lot people disagree with my opinion for not giving a perfect score to Gravity, I just have to say that I wanted to like the movie more, but giving my honest and unfiltered opinion is what I do, even if it does not go along with the pack. Gravity has a few problems, most of which come from the script, but it is still a very good movie.

Recommended for: Space enthusiasts, Thriller fans, Special effects fans,

Click here to check out more of my movie reviews.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

20 comments:

  1. We have the same thoughts of the movie! What really carried is the direction and sound design, particularly in the first half. *Spoiler* Maybe until the part that she reached the station, before George Clooney was lost in space *End Spoiler* But beyond that, it's somewhat a bore. I think you're right. One of the main problems is in the story. There are not enough threads to weave to keep the movie constantly interesting, so the movie gives us an impression that it is somewhat dragged out.

    Overall, I liked Gravity, mainly because of the intense feelings of desolation, claustrophobia, etc, that I experienced in the film. But I think it is overly praised in general.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We agree yet again! That is exactly the point where I began to lose interest in the movie. After that it was, as you said, a bit of a bore. I also agree about how the movie felt dragged out, which is especially odd for such a short movie.

      -James

      Delete
  2. While I certainly dont hate you for your difference of opinion (that's the beauty of cinema anyway!) I do grossly disagree with you that the characters and plot aren't deep/engaging.

    For me I thought that the story was half of Gravity's beauty. Cuaron could have easily made a blockbuster with no emotion, no backstory for Sandra, and left out every metaphor that he put in. But I think that if you were to watch it again, with the sole intent to find the metaphorical imagery and the underlying purpose, you would possibly have an increased positive opinion about the film.

    TL;DR version: I definitely disagree that the only thing that Gravity has going for it is its visuals/sound.

    I also think that a lot of this stems from the fact that it wasn't viewed in IMAX 3D. Placing myself in your shoes and imaging my first time seeing this film being on the small screen, I can definitely see how it would be underwhelming after all the hype. But take it from someone who saw it in IMAX 3D twice...it's a whole different movie going experience and it truly adds A LOT to the film and its emotional impact, at least it did for me.

    In all sincerity though, this is an exquisitely written review and you defend your points well, thus justifying your end score. It just so happens that this time I dont agree with you as much as I usually do lol. But once again, thats the beauty of cinema and there is nothing wrong with that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I shouldn't have said "hate" in my review, that sounded stupid, but changed that part.

      I am glad that you enjoyed the movie significantly more than I did and was able to connect with the characters.

      What I expected was more emotion and backstory, or at least something that was more compelling. The movie certainly tried, but it did not strike a chord with me I guess.

      If the movie is re-released in IMAX 3D at some later point in time where I actually have money, I would watch it again, but maybe I am over critical about the script with this.

      I did see some of the metaphors and that was not my problem with the depth of the movie, my problem was that the characters lacked depth.

      Thank you Jordan. Despite my problems with it, I still thought the movie was very, very good movie, and it would win basically all technical categories at the J and J Productions Oscars.

      Thanks again for the comment!

      -James

      Delete
  3. Great review! :) I have a similar feeling about the movie- I liked it, but it felt off in places and, since I was reading astronomy for school(and I have done research on space-related stuff), I found some scientific inaccuracies(the main one, luckily, being a delusion the main character was having; the scene being where Clooney's character opened the hatch and came in while she didn't have her helmet on and she didn't die from the space vacuum). You're right, they wouldn't have sent someone that inexperienced up into space- like you said, astronauts go through a LOT of training(though I did have fun joking with my sister while watching the movie about how she kept destroying each space station she went to; plus, NASA would have noticed the shrapnel before it had nearly reached them and would have had them out of the way long before it hit. Though, I was glad to have a movie with a female main character(though she definitely could have used some more development). I agree, the movie wasn't all that surprising(though I was surprised that Clooney's character died so early in the film- I had expected to have him be in the film longer) and the open ending was a bit odd. I do agree, it was a good movie(with amazing effects), but it could have done a lot more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Glad to see that we agree again. :) It really did feel off at points. Ah, I haven't actually done any astronomy classes in either college or highschool, but one w
      *Spoilers*
      I thought of that in the dream like sequence as well, fortunately it was a dream sequence-ish thing, but I have read about some other inaccuracies.
      LOL, that is funny when you think about that she basically destroys everything she touches. Those are some other great points that I agree with on as well. :)
      Thanks again!

      -James

      Delete
  4. Fantastic review James! And as you know I agree with you. I was severely disappointed with this movie because I knew it was supposed to be technically incredible, so I was expecting that, but the completely dead heart and robotic emotions just ruined the entire thing for me. Maybe it was too much to expect a complex plot and relate-able characters, but I really don't think it was too much to expect this to be realistic. If I were to be sent into space tomorrow I would be capable of acting more competently than Ryan. (Okay, maybe not -- I'm scared of space -- but still!) (And that's funny too, because I think space is the scariest place ever, and yet this movie didn't scare me just because it tired to so hard!) Too bad, cause it really was pretty...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sarah! Yep, we definitely agree on most all points. Yeah, I expected more substance, especially for a movie that was nominated for Best Picture! The characters were so disappointing, especially considering that there are only two characters throughout the entire movie to develop.
      Agreed again, Ryan a lot of people could have done better!

      -James

      Delete
  5. Totally agree with you. Gravity was beautiful in terms of visuals but there wasn't much else, for me at any rate, to like. Nice review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know, I am starting to notice that Gravity might not be as universally loved as I thought, and I am glad we agree! And thank you!

      -James

      Delete
  6. I was also not that impressed with Gravity. A technical marvel, but otherwise an empty movie (pun intended).

    B2B.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have been noticing that the general opinion of Gravity may not be so positive after all. Thanks for the comment B2B, and I am glad to see that we agree.

      -James

      Delete
  7. I've heard a lot of good things about this movie when it came to it's visuals but it's too bad that the characters/plot was lacking. :( I will watch this at some point but I don't know when.

    The first Godfather arrived from Netflix for me today! I'm looking forward to watching it; I have had 'Watch the Godfather Series' on my bucketlist for a while!

    ~Jamie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unfortunately, Gravity is not an absolute must-see right now type movie, but it is worth watching at some point.:)

      Awesome! I can't wait to hear your opinion of the Godfather!

      -James

      Delete
  8. This movie was really disappointing. :( From everything I had heard I thought it would be much better. Instead it took a lot of time to do a lot of nothing lol. And the script....... no, just.... no. I did enjoy some of the score though. :)

    Thanks for the review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to see we agree. :) It definitely seems that Gravity was not as universally loved as the critics would lead you to believe. That script was so weak compared to the visuals.

      -James

      Delete
  9. I think we are pretty much in agreement, the story does try a tad too hard to pull at the heart strings and oversells some of the themes. The technical side though is a benchmark in cinema, I've watched it at home in 3D and it's still as stunning as my first two viewing at the movies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am glad to hear that we are in agreement. Movies that try for emotional but ultimately fail particularly annoy me. But I definitely agree that the movie is a technical benchmark, because the effects are simply stunning!

      -James

      -James

      Delete
  10. Gravity is a technical marvel, and I did get caught up in whether and how Sandra Bullock's character made it. The one BIG flaw was when she and Clooney met again. I said to myself, 'that's impossible'.

    As time passes I think you have it correct: technically splendid but not the most well-written script. Note that it was not nominated for Screenplay (which weakened its Best Picture chances considerably). In my first Best of 2013 rankings, I put it at Num. 2. Looking over my list again, it slipped to like Num. 8 BECAUSE of the weak/clichéd characters.

    I think you have an excellent and accurate review of Gravity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *Spoilers*
      Yeah, I know what you are talking about. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out that it was a dream.

      Ah, I did not realize that it was not nominated for Best Screenplay, so that makes a lot of sense. I do not believe many, if any, movie in recent years was not even nominated for Best Screenplay, yet won Best Picture (granted I haven't actually looked into that lately so I am not sure how accurate that is).

      Thank you Rick.

      -James

      Delete

One rule: No strong profanity. If you want to link to one of your posts, please do; I am always interested in other reviews and such.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...